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bsdScary thought.I try it,see it,taste it or read it and then judge it.But if it was me or my project and You were tasting it....My hopes that You like & or approve of it; perhaps we can say as a shadow, one is judged as one judges.Have a good one; h

one of the highlights of friday....fri afternoon in the holy land, waiting for harry to wake up and post.

my thoughts for the portion of the week....

who are the ones who dont have to go to war...he who built a new house, or planted a new vineyard or taken a new wife.

everyone else...no excuses accepted.

tonight we will greet the sabbath bride with galil mountain barbera 2006, (2 for 99 NIS at hinawi in tel aviv...) which got such a warm review of late. matched with my equally famous coq au vin....true a winter dish, and its hot as hell here, but we got the A/C blowing full.

shabat shalom, y'all

"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen

Harry J wrote:bsdScary thought.I try it,see it,taste it or read it and then judge it.But if it was me or my project and You were tasting it....My hopes that You like & or approve of it; perhaps we can say as a shadow, one is judged as one judges.Have a good one; h

Life takes amusing turns. When Harry first started this Friday night thread (would anyone believe six full years ago), my first reaction was not positive. I even asked him to consider giving up the thread. Harry, however, proved more stubborn than I.

And now, like many others, I look forward every Friday to seeing and reading this thread, not only to see what portion of the Torah Harry has chosen to share with us but to the responses of our various members. And yes, to ponder on the meaning beyind the words of the post. Simply stated - Thank you, Harry.

As to judging, however, perhaps one of the shortcomings of religion in general. Indeed in the Old Testament it is written that we shall be judged as we judge others. That ain't necessarily so, however, for sometimes no matter how fairly we attempt to judge, the person behind the thing under scrutiny (a wine, a book, a film, an opera) has too deep an ego-involvement and cannot perceive our attempted fairness. Thus, no matter how reasonably one judges, the judgee is quite sure you are merely one of those s.o.b.'s.

As to the New Testament, where it is written: "Judge not, lest thee be judged", equally problematic, for "judging" or, if one wishes "criticism" is the most human of all forms of behavior. We thinking creatures we judge/evaluate everything we encounter. Is this person tall or short; is this automobile well or badly designed; is this a good or a bad bottle of wine; is this person intelligent or not. Judgements are even more basic - e.g. is this garnet or dark ruby; is this statement logical or illogical. Judgement, and the ability to act in fairness and in justice on our judgements is the last stronghold against the barbarians. As to just who the barbarians might be - quite simple - us, after we stop using our critical powers.

With apologies for a minor diatribe but with that apology my best wishes to all for whatever Shabbat they may choose to celebrate it.

I brought out a total of 6 bottles this Shabbat, carrying them in a regular bookbag no problem this time…Friday evening I supplemented the cashew chicken dinner with the Recanati Reserve Chardonnay, 2006, Tzuba CS, 2006 (my second tasting of it; in my opinion an outstanding investment for years to come, especially considering the QPR!), and the Ella Valley Vineyard's Choice CS, 2003 (also my second tasting, following the 12 bottle CS, 2003 blind tasting I hosted before the month of Av; it shows quite well, balanced, and full of life after sitting in the glass a bit). I originally brought a bottle of the Yatir Forrester-Lodge, 2004 as a backup bottle to the Ella Valley CS, because its source brought me at least 2-3 spoiled bottles, but this one was perfectly fine so we were happy to save this one for the afternoon.

In addition to the limited addition Yatir red blend (more Merlot than CS, I think), Shabbat lunch started off with the Carmel Sha'al Vineyard Gewürtztraminer Dessert Wine, 2004. The Forrester-Lodge I felt was getting slightly beyond its peak, but nonetheless well enjoyed by all still and having some relatively minor sediment. I think the Carmel Ice Wine was also slightly over its peak, and mostly still holding its "sweet-tooth" characteristic while not having so much of the complexity that it showed just a few months ago. No one else really drank it during lunch, however some additional guests stopped by for the "Third Meal" during late afternoon and they preferred finishing it off more than the wine that I started them off with -- the Tabor Rosé, 2007. I simply cannot find a single excuse not to have this wine during a late, hot Shabbat afternoon this summer. However, I did not bring in any of my Rosé wine glasses this time, and I didn't enjoy it with any ice. I also did not have more of the typical Rosé appreciating friends on hand that I usually do…

Friday night the 04 Herzog Russian River Chardonnay for the gefilte fish and salads. Later the 2006 Prix Soleil Vineyard Pinot Noir. This was my first tasting of this Pinot and though obviously early I wanted to see what it maight hold in store. Very tight, though black cherries and pine nuts(?) on the palate. I will try another in a year or so.For something completely different, we received the annual Rosh Hashana list of wines that we could order through our synagogue and the prices were absolutely astonishing. Usually this is an occasion looked forward to as it used to provide an opportunity to restock on both high and low end wines for the year. Not anymore! IMHO these sharp price increases will only serve to make us all more discriminating and careful in our purchasing.

(aka newlawyer)Is this stuff on the level or are you just making it up as you go along? (Groucho)

Continuing my exploration of Israel's low-end wines (which deserve some credit), part of a magnum of a Tishbi Cabernet Sauvignon-Petit Syrah (I think 2005). Interesting served a bit chilled. A pleasant quaffer... but I also knew I had to get rid of it before it turned in this hot summer.

Ella Valley EverRed 2004 with dinner - Soft and ripe, a good wine with food and popular with the guests. I wouldn't celler this for much longer though.

with lunch: Gamla Reisling 2007 - floral boquet with a touch of sweetness. Went well with chicken in Indian spices.

Also had the Yarden 2002 Cabernet recently. Very concentrated and rich with good balance, drinking really nicely now. This was my last bottle of the 2002, so I will need to move on to the 2003 (which I fortunately stocked up on).

Harry J wrote:Tried the Tabor estate 2004 cab and it was really wonderfull.Deep dark red.chocolate.nice finish(and all this eventhough its mevushal).Curious now to try the merlot.h

Harry, Hi....

One of us is confused and I'm not sure just which of us that is. To the best of my knowledge Tabor does not release wines in an "Estate" Series. Perhaps it is Tishbi Winery's Estate wine? And if that wine was mevushal it must have been made entirely for release in the USA as the local Estate series wines are most definitely not mevushal.

Thanks for the feedback. Indeed there are two wineries here, Tabor and HaTabor (sometimes HaTavor, Mt Tabor, or Mt. Tavor) on their labels, the first indeed one of the very best medium-sized wineries in the country, producing some 800,000 bottles annually and the second, also in the shadow of the same mountain, a far smaller winery, producing some 7,000-10,000 bottles annually. Indeed HaTabor/Mt. Tabor produces some mevushal wines.

Hifriday night a opened a Yarden Cabernet sauvignon 1997 a wonderfull wine !! for notes you can see here viewtopic.php?f=29&t=18260&p=156304#p156304by day i had a Tzora Givaat Hachalukim cabernet 2006 probably because this wine was the first one after the yearden 97 so i wasnt so exited about it but still a nice btl of wine, med body with some dark chocolate plum and spices , a bit clovie on the finish.

Friday night was an intimate dinner with grilled sirloin paired with Yarden, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004. The latter was superb, with luscious black fruit and notes of cocoa on the nose. I found the finish a bit bitter, and, in general, enjoy the better-integrated 2003 vintage of this wine.

Shabbat lunch we ate out and brought both the leftovers of the Yarden Cabernet (if someone from GHW is reading this: How about half bottles of Yarden wines that aren't Mt. Hermon?!) as well as the Gush Etzion, Organically Grown Chardonnay, 2007. The liveliness on the mid-palate of this Chard is rivaled, in my opinion, only by that of Yarden's excellent Odem Organic Chardonnay. (Are organic grapes more expressive?) Exploding with every which type of fruit -- I'm going to look for some more bottles.

The 2005 Recanati Reserve Petit Syrah/ZinBack from the summer, a great pairing with clay pot skinless chicken, first seared in oregano, basil and parsley, then slow cooked with caramelized onions garlic.

Looking forward to the next venture from Lewis from the U S of A

Daniel's notes follow

Recanati, Petite Sirah-Zinfandel, Reserve, 2005: Dark and concentrated, its firm, crisp tannins integrating nicely with vanilla-rich spicy oak. Opens with a burst of chocolate, that yielding to aromas and flavors of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry fruits, those coming together nicely with hints of minerals and an appealing light earthy note. Long and generous. Drink now–2011. Score 90. K